My radio cohost Mike has a theory. He believes that everyone gets to a point in life where they decide whether they will be a consumer or a minimalist. They either start accumulating things like toys and stuff or eschew those things. I guess I fall into the minimalist category.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t like things. I do! But I can appreciate them without having to possess them. Still, I’m far from living in a hut without electricity and worn out shoes. I’m happy to spend money on things of value. But if I can, I’d also like to find a way around it without being cheap. I also have a bit of a make-do mentality.
That’s how I was functioning in my recording studio when it came to my mic stand. I’ve been using a floor stand of Derek’s. It’s not practical to move in and out of the way in a tight space but it worked alright until one day I decided I was done with it.
You can’t imagine how difficult it is to find a simple desk stand that does what you want. It needed to clamp onto the desk, not require drilling into it, and to have a shock mount big enough for my microphone. I found two that met all of my requirements. One was $15.99 from China which was so cheap it aroused my suspicion. The other sold through Amazon and happened to be on sale for $50.
No Canadian retailers have them. Believe me, I checked.
So, here is the result, after fiddling with bits and pieces and assembling it myself, losing two washers in the process.
I took some ribbing on social media about the age of the monitor. It’s bigger than the new one that came with my computer and again, making do. Why replace it when it works just fine?
Side note: I no longer waste my money on duty and other charges to have items shipped over the border. I have it sent to a company in Port Huron and pick it up there for $5 US. It becomes part of my shopping expenses in the US that day. Simple.